Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo wagon unveiled

Porsche has expanded its EV offering with the introduction of the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo – a more practical, rugged wagon version of its Taycan sedan.

Confirmed for release in Australia around the same time as Europe, in the third quarter of this year, the crossover Taycan will be priced at $201,000 plus on-road costs for the entry-level 4S ($10,600 more than the Taycan 4S) and $271,000 plus ORCs for the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo -- just $2500 more than the equivalent Taycan Turbo sedan.

For now, the range-topping Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo, which is also powered by the largest 93.4kWh Performance Battery Plus, won't be offered in Australia.

Based on the same J1 architecture as the Taycan sedan, the Cross Turismo variant features a longer roof and Porsche's Active Suspension Management that employs a three-chamber air suspension.

With an optional Off-Road Package, drivers can raise the suspension a further 10mm to give the Porsche wagon an extra 30mm of ground clearance compared to the Taycan sedan.

Boosting traction, the Cross Turismo comes with a special Gravel mode, that pre-arms the chassis, stability control and throttle calibration for loose surfaces during light off-roading.

Drawing its styling cues from the 2018 Mission E Cross Turismo concept, the five-door wagon features a traditional shooting brake silhouette, with a heavily raked rear screen.

Other new elements for the Porsche wagon are new rims, and protective cladding for the sills and wheel-arches, plus a decorative-looking rear metallic bash plate.

Thanks to its raised roofline, headroom in the rear seats has increased by 47mm, although its 446-litre luggage-swallowing capacity (the Turbo and Turbo S boot is 405-litres) is almost identical to the sedan. At least seats down boot space is boosted to 1212-litres.

Unsurprisingly, sharing the same powertrains from the sedan, performance is remarkable whatever Taycan Cross Turismo you choose.

The entry 4S version, features two electric motors (one for each axle) pumping out 360kW. Thanks to an overboost function that raises power yet further to 420kW, Porsche claims the zero-emission wagon can polish off the 0-100km/h dash in 5.1 seconds, combining the strong acceleration with an official 455km range.

The quicker Turbo's peak power, meanwhile, is 460kW or 500kW on overboost that ensures an incredible 3.3-second sprint to 100km/h, from rest, and a 452km range.

Finally, if somehow that's not enough, there's the Turbo S that ramps up power to a mighty 560kW on overboost and ensures the Cross Turismo can hit 100km/h in just 2.9 seconds, while still being capable of covering 418km between charges.

As part of the Taycan Cross Turismo's introduction, the standard Taycan battery has had its charging capability wound up from 270kW maximum to 290kW. That means 100km of range can now be added in just five minutes.

Using a wallbox and the Taycan's standard 11kW charger, a full charge takes around 10.5 hours. A new 22kW AC charger is an option.

How much does the 2021 Porsche Taycan cost?
4S – $190,400
4S Cross Turismo – $201,000
Turbo – $268,500
Turbo Cross Turismo – $271,000
Turbo S – $338,500

* Prices exclude on-road costs